Soul Sister

A poor script and a messy staging could do nothing to detract from the joy of this entertainment. Tina Turner’s story is sold short by the book but was more then compensated for by the superb company who gave the Ike and Tina song book real oomph. Ripping through the numbers I was prepared to ignore the odd projections, comic book in conception but not in execution and cluttered with news reel footage and plot updates on film – it never quite worked and I am struggling here with a two star rating. What worked, or should I say who, was Kelly Fitzpatrick who simply oozes essence of Tina Turner, the voice, the physicality and that ever so strange dancing, and she, and the cast and band, deserve a better rating for sure. Whilst I will stick to my misgivings about the production, I would urge anyone to go see the marvelous Ms Fitzpatrick rip up that stage and leave the audience cheering for more, one question though – why no ‘Nutbush City Limits’?

Theatre Royal Brighton, 22 July 2013

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